Synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles and its application in photocatalytic degradation of LABS by the trial-and-error and Taguchi methods

In the work ZnO nanoparticles were prepared by sol-gel method. The catalyst was characterized by X-ray powder diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The photocatalytic oxidation of anionic surfactant in detergent industries was studied using ZnO nanoparticles with diameter size 20 nm as catalyst on irradiation with UV light. Analysis of kinetic showed that the amount of surfactant photocatalytic degradation can be fitted with pseudo-first-order model and studied photochemical elimination of Linear alkyl benzene sulfonates by the trial-and-error and Taguchi methods. Our experimental design consisted of testing five factors, i.e. dosage of K₂S₂O₈, concentration of surfactant, amount of ZnO, irradiation time, and initial pH. The results showed that photocatalytic degradation of linear alkyl benzene sulfonates was strongly influenced by these parameters.     

The photocatalytic degradation of cationic surfactant from wastewater in the presence of nano-zinc oxide using Taguchi method

The photocatalytic degradation of cetyl pyridinium chloride (CPC) has been investigated in aqueous phase using ultraviolet (UV) and ZnO nanopowder. Kinetic analysis showed that the extent of surfactant photocatalytic degradation can be fitted with pseudo-first-order model and photochemical elimination of CPC could be studied by Taguchi method. Our experimental design was based on testing five factors, i.e., dosage of K₂S₂O₈, concentration of CPC, amount of ZnO, irradiation time and initial pH. Each factor was tested at four levels. The optimum parameters were found to be pH 5.0; amount of ZnO 11 mg; K₂S₂O₈ 3 mM; CPC 10 mg/L; irradiation time, 8 h.     

Hydrothermal Synthesis of Ce-doped ZnO Heterojunction Supported on Carbon Nanofibers with High Visible Light Photocatalytic Activity

Ce/ZnO decorated carbon nanofibers(CNFs) heteroarchitectures(Ce/ZnO/CNFs) have been synthesized using electrospinning technique followed hydrothermal method, which have a high visible light photocatalytic activity. The samples were characterized by means of SEM, FTIR and XRD. The photocatalytic performance of Ce/ZnO/CNFs was tested with the methylene blue in the presence of visible light irradiation. In this work, we have analyzed the effects of Ce doping amount, initial methylene blue(MB) concentration and dosage of Ce/ZnO/CNFs on photocatalytic efficiency of the composite. The results showed that the photocatalyst containing 1.0% Ce in molarity(CZC1) obtained by autoclaving at 150℃ has the best photocatalytic degradation of MB than other as-synthesized samples. Ce/ZnO/CNFs catalysts exhibit a good stability and reusability, which would be an economical and environmentally friendly photocatalyst for various practical applications.     

Influence of operational parameters on photocatalytic degradation of a genotoxic azo dye Acid Violet 7 in aqueous ZnO suspensions

The photocatalytic degradation of a genotoxic azo dye Acid Violet 7 (AV 7) using ZnO as a photocatalyst in aqueous solution has been investigated under UV irradiation. The degradation is higher with UV/ZnO process than with UV/TiO(2)-P25 process at pH 9. The effects of different parameters such as pH of the solution, amount of catalyst, initial dye concentration and the influence of cations, anions and oxidants on photodegradation of AV 7 were analyzed. Addition of oxidants except H(2)O(2) has no significant effect on degradation. The degradation of AV 7 follows pseudo-first order kinetics according to the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model. The degradation of AV 7 has also been confirmed by COD and CV measurements.     

Zinc oxide mediated heterogeneous photocatalytic degradation of organic species under solar radiation

The photocatalytic decomposition of eco-persistent toluene, salicylic acid and 4-chlorophenol with sun light in an oxygenated aqueous suspension has been studied under nanocrystalline hexagonal ZnO photocatalyst. The effect of substrate temperature onto the structural, morphological and photoactive properties has been investigated. The degradation of toluene, salicylic acid and 4-chlorophenol were achieved using a photoelectrochemical reactor module equipped with synthesized ZnO electrodes. Kinetic parameters have been investigated in terms of a first order rate equation. The rate constant (-k) for this heterogeneous photocatalysis was evaluated as a function of the initial concentration of original species. Substantial reduction in concentrations of toluene, salicylic acid and 4-chlorophenol was achieved as analyzed from COD and TOC studies. The mechanism for the degradation of toluene, salicylic acid and 4-chlorophenol could be explained on the basis of Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism.     

Photocatalytic degradation of betamethasone sodium phosphate in aqueous solution using ZnO nanopowder

The photocatalytic degradation of betamethasone sodium phosphate has been investigated in aqueous phase by using ultraviolet (UV) light and ZnO nanopowder. The effect of catalyst loading, irradiation time, pH, addition of oxidizers, effect of alcohol and anion presence on the reaction rate was ascertained and optimum conditions for maximum degradation were determined. The photocatalytic degradation of betamethasone sodium phosphate was strongly influenced by these parameters. The optimum amount of the photocatalyst used is 0.44 g/L. The efficiency of betamethasone sodium phosphate increases with the photo-degradation increase of the irradiation time.     

Determination of bifonazole and identification of its photocatalytic degradation products using UPLC‐MS/MS

The main goal of the presented work was to investigate the effect of ZnO or/and TiO₂ on the stability of bifonazole in solutions under UVA irradiation. To this end, a simple and reproducible UPLC method for the determination of bifonazole in the presence of its photocatalytic degradation products was developed. Linearity was studied in the range of 0.0046–0.15 mg mL⁻¹ with a determination coefficient of 0.9996. Bifonazole underwent a photocatalytic degradation process under the experimental conditions used. Comparative studies showed that combination of TiO₂/ZnO (1:1 w /w) was a more effective catalyst than TiO₂ or ZnO with a degradation rate of up to 67.57% after 24 h of irradiation. Further, kinetic analyses indicated that the photocatalytic degradation of bifonazole in the mixture of TiO₂/ZnO can be described by a pseudo‐first order reaction. Statistical comparison clearly indicated that the presence of TiO₂/ZnO also affected the stability of bifonazole from a cream preparation after 15 h of UVA exposure (p < 0.05). Ten photodegradation products of bifonazole were identified for the first time and their plausible fragmentation pathways, derived from MS/MS data, were proposed. The main pathway in the photocatalytic transformation of bifonazole in the presence of ZnO or/and TiO₂ involves hydroxylation of the methanetriyl group and/or adjacent phenyl rings and cleavage of the imidazole moiety.     

Photodegradation of methyl green using visible irradiation in ZnO suspensions: determination of the reaction pathway and identification of intermediates by a high-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry method

Heterogeneous photocatalytic treatment of a dye called methyl green (MG), which was simulating textile wastewater from associated auxiliary chemicals, was investigated using ZnO. A detailed investigation of the photodegradation of MG has been carried out in the ZnO suspension irradiated with visible light. The effects of various factors - viz. pH values, amount of catalyst, initial dye concentration, and the presence of NaCl, Na(2)CO(3), H(2)O(2), and Na(2)S(2)O(8) - on the degradation efficiency were studied. Thirty-two intermediates were separated, identified, and characterized by high-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-DAD-MS) technology, giving us insight into the pathways of the degradation process.     

Fe-Ni 共掺杂 ZnO 的制备及其光催化降解甲基橙活性

 采用溶液法制备了 Fe-Ni 共掺杂 ZnO 光催化剂, 并运用 X 射线衍射、扫描电镜和原子发射光谱等对催化剂进行了表征. 以甲基橙 (MO) 为模型污染物, 评价了样品的光催化活性, 考察了甲基橙初始浓度及其 pH 值, 以及催化剂用量等对光催化反应性能的影响. 结果表明, Fe-Ni 共掺杂降低了 ZnO 的结晶度, 并促进了晶粒的长大. 光催化降解反应表明, Fe-Ni 共掺杂显著提高了 ZnO 光催化降解甲基橙的活性, 当催化剂用量为 0.6 g/L, 经 120 min 紫外光照射时, 可使甲基橙溶液 (10 mg/L) 降解率达到 93.5%. 关键词：铁; 镍; 共掺杂; 氧化锌; 光催化; 甲基橙; 降解     

多级结构氧化锌的构筑、形貌调控及其光催化活性

分别以混合常见二锌盐为锌源, 以离子液体和柠檬酸钠为表面活性剂, 在绿色温和的条件下采用二次沉积法制备出多级结构氧化锌。用XRD、IR、SEM、UV-Vis、PL等表征了样品的组成、结构、形貌、光致发光性能及光催化性能。探讨了表面活性剂、阴离子、温度等因素对氧化锌形貌的影响。结果表明, 由不同表面活性剂所得到样品的多级结构有较大的差异。此外, 推测了在多级结构氧化锌形成过程中, 阴离子和温度对样品形貌的调控作用, 并对比了三种典型样品的光催化性能, 其中样品-1的光催化性能最好。     

多级结构氧化锌的构筑、形貌调控及其光催化活性

分别以混合常见二锌盐为锌源,以离子液体和柠檬酸钠为表面活性剂,在绿色温和的条件下采用二次沉积法制备出多级结构氧化锌。用XRD、IR、SEM、UV-Vis、PL等表征了样品的组成、结构、形貌、光致发光性能及光催化性能。探讨了表面活性剂、阴离子、温度等因素对氧化锌形貌的影响。结果表明,由不同表面活性剂所得到样品的多级结构有较大的差异。此外,推测了在多级结构氧化锌形成过程中,阴离子和温度对样品形貌的调控作用,并对比了三种典型样品的光催化性能,其中样品-1的光催化性能最好。     

Calcination temperature-dependent morphology of photocatalytic ZnO nanoparticles prepared by an electrochemical–thermal method

ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) with tunable morphologies were synthesized by a hybrid electrochemical–thermal method at different calcination temperatures without the use of any surfactant or template. The NPs were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, dynamic light scattering, thermogravimetry–differential thermal analysis, scanning electron microscope and N₂ gas adsorption–desorption studies. The FT-IR spectra of ZnO NPs showed a band at 450 cm^?1, a characteristic of ZnO, which remained fairly unchanged at calcination temperatures even above 300 °C, indicating complete conversion of the precursor to ZnO. The products were thermally stable above 300 °C. The ZnO NPs were present in a hexagonal wurtzite phase and the crystallinity of ZnO increased with an increasing calcination temperature. The ZnO NPs calcined at lower temperature were mesoporous in nature. The surface areas of ZnO NPs calcined at 300 and 400 °C were 51.10 and 40.60 m² g^?1, respectively, which are significantly larger than commercial ZnO nanopowder. Surface diffusion has been found to be the key mechanism of sintering during heating from 300 to 700 °C with the activation energy of sintering as 8.33 kJ mol^?1. The photocatalytic activity of ZnO NPs calcined at different temperatures evaluated by photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue under sunlight showed strong dependence on the surface area of ZnO NPs. The ZnO NPs with high surface area showed enhanced photocatalytic activity.     

Photocatalytic decomposition of p-nitrophenol over titanium dioxide prepared by reverse microemulsion method using nonionic surfactants with different hydrophilic groups

TiO₂ nanoparticles were prepared using the hydrolysis of titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) in W/O microemulsions consisting of water, nonionic surfactant and cyclohexane. The photocatalytic degradation of p-nitrophenol has been studied by using a batch reactor in the presence of UV light. The crystallite size and crystallinity increase with a decrease of hydrophilic group chain length and an increase of calcinations temperature. In addition, the photocatalytic activity increases with an increase of hydrophilic group length. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Highly reusable chitosan-stabilized Fe-ZnO immobilized onto fiberglass cloth and the photocatalytic degradation properties in batch and loop reactors

The new design of the photocatalytic reactor is crucial to study for improving compatibility and scaling up the operation. A compatible loop photocatalytic reactor has been designed and used for rhodamine B decomposition. The photocatalysts were either ZnO or Fe-ZnO immobilized onto fiberglass cloth. The ZnO catalyst exhibited high crystallinity with or without Fe as the dopant. The crystallite size increased with the presence of Fe in the lattices. Most of the crystal parameters matched the standard ZnO data, and the cluster size was comparable to most reported studies. Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS) analysis confirmed the photon absorption shifted to the visible light range. The Fe dopant decreased the ZnO bandgap, and SEM-EDS confirmed the catalysts adhered to the fiberglass surface. The volume, thickness of the substrate solution, and reaction temperature influenced the photocatalytic-degradation rate. The photocatalytic degradation rate was higher under sunlight than ultraviolet irradiation. The reaction rate was lower in the batch reactor than in the loop reactor. The photocatalytic reaction almost completely mineralized RhB and changed the red solution to colorless. The immobilized photocatalyst has been reused more than 50 times without significantly decreasing the catalytic activity.     

Synthesis, characterization and study of photocatalytic activity of surface modified ZnO nanoparticles by PEG capping

Nanoparticles of bare and PEG (Polyethylene glycol) capped zinc oxide (ZnO) were synthesized by precipitation method. The photocatalytic activity of bare and modified ZnO nanoparticles was studied by monitoring the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB). The results show that PEG capped ZnO nanoparticles has reduced photocatalytic activity than the bare ZnO nanoparticles. The reduction in the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total organic carbon (TOC) results also revealed the reduced photocatalytic activity of PEG capped ZnO. The UV-shielding property was evaluated by measuring the transmittance which shows that both bare and PEG capped ZnO nanoparticles possess good UV-shielding ability.     

Effects of Ag Doping Content and Dispersion on the Photocatalytic and Antibacterial Properties in ZnO Nanoparticles

ZnO nanoparticles(NPs)with different contents of Ag dopants were obtained by one-step solvothermal method.The crystalline structures of the prepared composites were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction(XRD).The morphology and composition of the samples were studied by means of scanning transmission electron microscopy(TEM)5 X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS)and electron microscopy(SEM).Photoluminescence(PL)spectra have been used to investigate pure ZnO,Ag-ZnO and Ag-ZnO-PVP NPs to determine the effect of composition on PL properties.It was found that the Ag-ZnO samples showed stronger emissions than pure ZnO.The catalytic activity of samples was measured by the degradation rate of R6G,which exhibited that Ag-ZnO nanocomposite demonstrated enhanced photocatalytic activity compared to the pure ZnO NPs.The possible influence factors to the photocatalytic and antibacterial activities of the sample were explored,including Ag contents and dispersion.It was presented that the photocatalytic activity of Ag-ZnO-PVP was better than that of Ag-ZnO and it showed the highest photocatalytic activity with 7%of Ag content.The Ag-ZnO-PVP can kill the Escherichia coli(E.coli)cells.     

Visible light induced photocatalytic degradation of phenol by polymer-modified semiconductors: Study of the influencing factors and the kinetics

To investigate the influencing factors and the kinetics of photocatalytic degradation of phenol, experiments were carried out using conjugated polymer poly(fluorene-co-thiophene) (PFT) sensitized TiO₂ and ZnO under LED (light-emitting diode) lights of the wavelength of 450–475 nm. Influencing factors, such as initial phenol concentration, photocatalyst dosage and pH value on the photocatalytic degradation of phenol were studied in detail. The reaction kinetics was found to follow pseudo first-order law.     

Influence of different precursors and Mn doping concentrations on the structural,optical properties and photocatalytic activity of single-crystal manganese-doped ZnO

Mn-doped ZnO single-crystal micronuts were synthesized via hydrothermal method in an hexamethylenetetramine aqueous solution. These micronuts are of wurtzite crystal structure. The effects of Mn doping amount and precursor concentration on the structural, optical properties and photocatalytic activity have been investigated. The synthesized Mn-doped ZnO was characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), UV–Vis absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The structural analyses based on X-ray diffraction revealed the absence of Mn-related secondary phases. According to FESEM results, the length of ZnO micronuts was in the range of 5–8 μm. The band gap energy increased on increasing Mn doping concentration. The photocatalytic activity was studied by degradation of methyl orange aqueous solution, which showed that the Mn-doped ZnO micronuts prepared in precursor concentration of 0.1 M and 4% Mn doping had the highest photocatalytic activity. The effects of crystal defect and band gap energy on photocatalytic activity of Mn-doped ZnO samples were studied in different precursors and Mn doping amounts.     

Microwave-assisted synthesis of ZnO and its photocatalytic activity in degradation of CTAB

Nanosized zinc oxide (nano-ZnO) was prepared by a microwave irradiation method using zinc nitrate and triethanolamine as starting materials and distilled water as a solvent. The as-prepared powder was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The photocatalytic degradation of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) using the prepared material under UV irradiation was studied.The effects of ZnO dosage and initial pH on the photodegradation of CTAB were investigated. As the ZnO load increased, the CTAB degradation first increased and then decreased. The optimum ZnO dosage was 3 g L^–1. Photodegradation of CTAB is more efficient in slightly alkaline media (pH 9).     

Photocatalytic degradation of chlorophenols under direct solar radiation in the presence of ZnO catalyst

The photocatalytic degradation of chlorophenols was evaluated under direct solar radiation using commercial ZnO catalyst. Effects of several parameters such as a catalyst loading, pH of solution and initial concentration on the degradation process have been investigated. The photocatalytic degradation efficiency of chlorophenols at the optimum value of the parameters was compared under similar experimental conditions. The results of efficiency and mineralization showed the degradation of 2-chlorophenol and 2,4-dichlorophenol compound with the first order kinetic rate and the rate constant decreases as the initial concentration of the chlorophenols increase. However, the rate constant was strongly affected by type of chlorophenols compound present either 2-chlorophenol or 2,4-dichlorophenol. The highest removal of chlorophenols was obtained after 120 min and the final intermediate compounds of chlorophenols degradation are lower molecular weight compound consisting of acetic acid which was analyzed through the HPLC.